The ABCs of You and Me
by ImpulsiveWriter321
Summary: A series of one-shots involving our favorite FBI supernatural crime fighting duo. One-shots will range from K-M, if the rating is M it will be noted on the top of the chapter. Rated M overall for safety reasons.
1. A is for Advice

**Hello everyone! I just very recently got into the X-Files and I'm loving every minute of it. I, like many others, jumped quickly onto the ship of Mulder and Scully and couldn't keep myself away from writing something on them. If you enjoy my work, please feel free to look at my other stories that are posted on the site – some are incomplete and others are complete but I am still working on them as school and work allows. These will be somewhat connected one-shots of our favorite FBI duo – I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. There will be some Original Characters's thrown in here as well – but they will be introduced as needed.**

 **A is for Advice**

"It's impossible."

At least, that's what Mulder believed as he wadded up the sixth piece of paper he had scribbled on that afternoon and lobbed it toward his destroyed garbage can. How the piece of metal had sustained itself after he had busted it with his foot he would never know.

"You look as good as I feel, Mr. Garbage Can."

Sighing, Mulder's forehead found contact with his desk. He should have been fingering through the X-Files, attempting to find something that he could send to Skinner as a possible lead. He was going crazy just sitting at his desk as he had been for the past week. Lifting his head, his eyes wandered over to his filing cabinets. If he could just find the silliest possible lead, then maybe he could get Skinner to write it off and he and Scully could –

 _Wait. Hold on. Brain. Stop._

Mulder let his forehead fall into his hand as he groaned. Scully. She was the reason he was in this predicament anyway. If she hadn't been on his mind every once in a while – _constantly_ – , if she hadn't been so kind to him – _she believes in you_ – and if she hadn't been born with such adorable features – _she was stunning_ – then he wouldn't have his current problem. He knew it wasn't her fault, though. Not at all. The fault was all his.

After years of flirting, leading questions, intimate moments and near misses of lips touching one another, and the few brilliant times that they did, he finally admitted it to himself. He was hopelessly in love with her.

He had spent the last week trying to write out his feelings on notebook paper, hoping that one of the papers would hold an accurate and satisfying description of how he felt towards her and he hoped – _oh, so hoped_ – that she might feel the same. But every time he would reread what his frantic hand had written, he had deemed it lacking and threw it at his garbage can.

"I'm never going to be able to tell her," he whispered. With downcast eyes, he stood to collect the four crumpled papers that hadn't quite met their target. After throwing the first three in the garbage can, he held the most recent one in his fingers, smoothing it out to read once more what he had written.

 _Dana,_

 _This is going to sound crazy. Ridiculous, even, especially coming from me. I've tried to write it out so many times but I just keep coming back to the same basic line._

 _I love you –_

The sound of crumpling paper filled the room once more as he discarded it to the floor. He stood, fulling intending to look through his cases when his phone rang on his desk. He picked up the receiver gingerly, praying to God that he didn't have to hear her angelic voice after what he had just put himself through.

"Mulder."

"Mulder, it's Skinner. I need you in my office, as soon as possible."

"Yeah, you got it. I'll be right up."

"Good."

The dial tone rang in his ear as Skinner hung up the phone. Placing the receiver down, he allowed himself one last look at his disgruntled garbage can and the lone piece of paper lying next to it.

"I'll pick it up later. Duty calls."

…

Opening a door quietly was not his forte, as Dana would say, and the receptionist for Skinner's office jumped as he walked in.

"Agent Mulder, Director Skinner is expecting you. You can go right in."

"Thank you," he nodded as he walked by. He gave the door one simple knock before turning the knob.

"Mulder, have a seat."

Mulder's careful eyes scanned Skinner's face, hoping to pick up on some sort of emotion. It wasn't often that he was called into his office with no idea as to why he was there.

"Is there a problem, sir?" He asked as he plopped down in the familiar chair.

"No, no problem. A case came across my desk this morning, seems to be right up your alley. Three missing men in Arizona, all under unexplainable circumstances. Seems to be that they just vanished into the ground. The Sheriff is asking for some extra help on this case, so I thought it would be best to send you and Scully."

Mulder took the file from Skinner's fingertips and nodded.

"Of course, sir, Agent Scully and I will be right on it."

Looking up, he wasn't expecting Skinner's eyes to be piercing straight through him. He fidgeted a little bit, uncomfortable under his boss's stern gaze.

"Is…is there a problem, sir?" He asked again.

"I don't know, Mulder, is there? You never refer to Dana as Agent Scully, not since you first started working together. Has something happened?"

Mulder gulped, his eyes surely going wide. "Um, no, sir, everything is fine. I just…spoke without thinking, I guess."

Skinner's glare intensified, obviously searching for a gap in Mulder's story. There were plenty.

Mulder sighed and muttered quickly, "Okay, fine, I guess… _something_ happened. But nothing between the two of us and nothing that she would know about. We're okay."

Skinner was silent. Taking that as a cue to leave, Mulder nodded and stood. Fixing his jacket, he walked a few steps towards the door before Skinner's voice stopped him.

"You love her, don't you?"

Mulder froze, his fingers tightening on the file. Without turning around, he whispered, "What?"

"Trust me, Mulder, I've been around enough young men that I know when they've fallen and they've fallen hard."

Mulder took a shaky step behind him so he could look Skinner in the eye. His gaze wasn't piercing anymore it was almost…accepting.

"I don't know what you're talking about, sir."

"You've been working with Agent Scully for many years, Mulder, and honestly I'm surprised that you haven't figured it out sooner. She was paired with you to debunk your work and it backfired spectacularly. Not only is she now hellbent on helping you with your work, you've fallen in love with her, and she's fallen in love with you."

Surprising himself, Mulder let out a sharp laugh. "I don't think she's in love with me."

Skinner chuckled, rotating his chair so that he was facing Mulder. "Don't sell yourself so short. You should see the way she looks at you when you're not looking or how she defends you from other agents."

Mulder stared at him, words failing to form on his lips. "Why are you telling me this?"

Skinner gave him a small smile. "Because for the man who thinks he knows it all, from every X-File to what basketball team is going to win Thursday nights game, you've never really had anyone to turn to for advice, have you?"

"Of course I have," Mulder spluttered, "I've had…well, my contacts through the FBI, and the Lone Gunmen, and…well…"

"Did you ever talk to your father?"

Mulder gulped, his gaze dropping to the floor as it would if he were around his father. "No. No, I never really asked him for advice on anything."

Skinner's smile fell from his lips. Standing, he walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Then let me tell you what your father should have told you at some point. There comes a time in almost every man's life that a woman walks in and pushes them right on their ass. She'll be everything that you admire with maybe a few things that you don't. If she's the one that's supposed to stay in your life for good, you'll realize that you never want to let her go. That you'd do anything to keep her around, to protect her. Sometimes that realization comes within a week. Sometimes it takes a couple years. Sometimes you know it immediately but your brain won't let you comprehend it until much later. Ask yourself, Mulder…is Scully a woman that you want to let get away?"

Mulder gaped at him, his heart pounding. Finally, he sighed. "No. No, I don't ever want her to slip away."

"Then tell her that. Tell her every little thought that goes through your head at night. However much we as men might believe it, women aren't mind readers. She isn't going to know unless you tell her."

Mulder chuckled sadly, his mind racing. "What if…what if I can't? What if the words just…don't work?"

"They'll work. When you need them to the most…they'll work."

Mulder was silent for a moment. Looking up, Skinner nodded at him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Now, back to work Agent. You've got a trip to Arizona first thing tomorrow morning."

Mulder nodded and made his way toward the door again. With his hand on the knob, he turned toward Skinner once more.

"Sir?"

"Yeah," he groaned as his older body sank into his chair.

"Thank you."

Skinner looked at him from the corner of his eye and smiled. "Don't screw it up, Mulder."

Smiling, Mulder made his way through the door and quickly out of Skinner's office. His brain was mulling now, trying to once again come up with a way to explain himself to his partner. He probably looked crazy, crazier than everyone already thought he was, as he walked through the hallways towards his office muttering.

 _There's something I need to tell you –_

 _I just…can't hold it in anymore,_

 _Even if you don't feel the same way –_

That was the part that hurt him. What if she didn't feel the same way? What if he poured his heart and soul out and all it resulted in was him getting assigned a new partner?

He was still muttering to himself as he reached his office. Opening the door quickly, and loudly, he didn't quite notice the jacket slung over the chair across from his desk.

"What if she – " Looking up, he froze. There she was, red hair gently floating against her shoulders and her bright blue eyes staring at something in her hands as she stood next to his garbage can. A piece of paper. A _crumpled_ piece of paper.

Mulder's voice caught. "Um."

She looked up, tears brewing in her eyes. "I was wondering why it was on the floor so…so I picked it up."

Mulder screwed his eyes shut, his face turning tomato red. His voice raspy he whispered, "Which one is that?"

She was silent for a moment and then… "Dana. This is going to sound crazy. Ridiculous, even, especially coming from me. I've tried to write it out so many times but I just keep coming back to the same basic line – "

"I love you," he whispered. Keeping his eyes closed, his mouth did what it did best. Rambled.

"Dana, I'm so sorry, you were never supposed to read those. I just…I don't know what happened…I understand if you don't want to talk to me again – ommp!"

He was expecting yelling. He was expecting anger from her lips and daggers from her eyes. He was maybe even expecting a pitiful letdown from her. What he _wasn't_ expecting, was to feel something warm and soft against his lips. His eyes flying open, he was greeted with the beautiful sight of Dana standing barely out of hands reach, her eyes gently closed as she met his lips with hers.

He stood there, rigid like a statue until she made the next move. He wasn't going to think too much into it until she said something, did _something_. Finally, she pulled away, but only just barely.

"Please don't say you're sorry. That would kill me."

He stared at her. "What?"

Taking a gulp, her gaze fluttered downward. "Do…do you mean it?"

It felt like it took all the strength he had to keep speaking. "Mean what?"

"You're note. Notes, I guess," she laughed softly as she looked over to the garbage can. "Do you really mean what you wrote in them?"

She looked up at him and his breath caught at her eyes pleading with him. Almost hoping.

"I…yeah. Yeah, I do."

She stared at him for a second before quickly reaching behind her and into her coat pocket. After a quick moment of searching she pulled out a crumpled piece of what looked like shopping list paper and thrust it at him, her cheeks blazing.

"I…I wrote that last week."

He took it gingerly, his hands shaking as he unfolded it. Even though the words had been washed away a bit and the creases cut off some of the letters, he was able to read it.

 _Fox,_

 _This is ridiculous, I should be able to just tell you this straight to your face. I would be the happiest woman alive if we kept going as we were, the best of friends and the strongest partners. But…I know I would be lying to myself if I said that that really was all I wanted out of us. The truth is, over the past couple of years I've realized something. I've realized that I don't want to spend the rest of my life without you. I don't want to tell people that you're just my best friend. I don't think I could bear seeing you kiss someone else._

 _Long story short…I love you –_

The words cut out just like his, but whether it was because Dana had stopped writing or because his hands were shaking so bad that he couldn't see them anymore he wasn't sure. 

"Writing all those case reports has done well for you, hasn't it?" He laughed softly.

She smiled. "I suppose, yeah. I just…why do we keep dancing around the facts, Mulder? The ones that we both know."

He looked up at her, at her piercing gaze and her trembling lip. "I…I don't know. But I do know…that I don't want to anymore."

"Me neither."

Giving her a small smile, he placed her note on his desk as he took the step forward that brought them back together. Looking down at her, he realized that it was now or never.

"I don't ever want to let you go, Scully. Not now. Not ever. I thought all I wanted in life was to find the truth. Now…now that's the almost the last thing on my mind. I want to wake up next to you and make breakfast while it rains outside. I want to join you on your class reunions and your family events even if it means staring Bill in the face for a couple hours. I want to stand by your side through the good times and the bad and say I love you every time we leave each other. I…"

Trailing off, he knew that he could say a thousand words and while she'd happily listen they still wouldn't tell her exactly what he felt. Taking her hands lightly in his, he dipped his head forward until his lips met hers hungrily and his eyes fell shut. She responded in kind, her hands leaving his and snaking their way up his chest and around his neck before nestling themselves in his hair. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, one around her waist and the other up her back as his heart threatened to pound right out of his chest. He lifted her slightly so that she was now sitting on his desk. How many times had he had this fantasy? Way too many.

They stayed like that for Lord knows how long, breaking for air only when they absolutely needed to and then immediately going back to each other. Their initial passion died down, slightly, and they pulled away only to rest against each other's foreheads.

"I love you," he muttered roughly, his hands resting on her waist.

Her fingers kneaded into his shirt, and he realized that she had undone the three top buttons without him noticing, as her lips strained to be closer to his. "I love you, too."

He probably had his signature goofy grin on his face as he brought his lips to hers again.

"We have a case tomorrow in Arizona," he laughed as she groaned. "But, I think since we have to be on a plane early in the morning, that Skinner might let us have the rest of the day off."

Her eyes blazed into his. "That sounds perfect. Can we ask him after we're already home?"

"Even better."

Home. Not her home. Not his home. Just home.

As she pulled him quickly out the door, leaving barely enough time to grab their jackets and keys, he let that word radiate in his brain. Turning to lock the door, he nuzzled into her as she left a trail of kisses on his neck.

"Let's go home."

 **Alright, I'm officially in love with writing them. This is my first time so they may be a little bit out of character, but I hope to work on that. Please feel free to leave any sort of comments in the reviews! I love reading them and they help make me such a better writer! Thank you, and as always please read, share, and review!** **-ImplusiveWriter321**


	2. B is for Bullet

**B is for Bullet (M Rating Warning – it's right at the beginning if you don't want to read it. It does get pretty racy – sorry. XD)**

"Have I told you that you're beautiful yet today?" He mumbled into her hair as she snuggled into his bare shoulder. Her naked body was warm against his as they relished the morning light before they had to get up and face the world in their pant suits and badges.

"Seeing as I just woke up two minutes ago, I don't think so. I don't know what you say while I'm sleeping though."

Mulder let out a soft chuckle. "I think this is the latest I've slept in on a work day since…forever. Don't worry, I wasn't talking to you in your sleep."

Dana rolled her head so that she could look up at him. "I don't remember the last time I lounged in bed this long, either. It's…really nice. Especially with you next to me."

Slowly, he opened his eyes that he had let fall shut in her presence. He didn't say anything back to her as he was content to just stare at her. He had spent so long just seeing her face and imagining everything else. Now, the entirety of Dana Scully was given to him. The primal part of him would now automatically gaze over her curves and scars hungrily while the love inside of him made him want to memorize every detail. How her hips had a sharp edge to them or how her collarbone had a slight dip in it that he loved to nip at during the late evenings they spent in bed. Even last night, as they performed what Frohike would call the Horizontal Tango, he noticed how her shoulders had more freckles on them than the rest of her body.

She blushed whenever he told these things to her. She would attempt to hide her face in his shoulder or look away. The first night they spent together, to this day one of the best nights of Mulder's existence even almost four months later, she admitted to him that she didn't see herself as beautiful. Boy, oh boy, did he teach her otherwise that night.

"Are you thinking again?" She whispered gently. It had become their thing since they started sharing the same coffee mugs and bathroom space. She knew his tendency to trail off into thought without even paying attention to whatever was happening around him. She would let it happen, most of the time, because she knew that was how he gathered his thoughts and ideas. She wouldn't interrupt him to tell him to pay attention like many of his other family members or girlfriends would have.

"Yeah," he answered, leaving a small kiss on her temple.

"Discover anything interesting?"

"Just what I already knew."

"Which was?" she inquired, glancing up at him from his shoulder that she had rested her head on.

"How enamored I am by you," he murmured. Scully's face slowly broke out into a grin as Mulder dipped his head to claim her lips. They stayed connected for a while until inevitably Mulder's hand found its way up her leg to rest behind her knee. The extra contact caused her to glide the fingers of her left hand across his chest and up around his neck, successfully deepening the kiss they shared. Feeling the familiar blood rush to his groin, Mulder grabbed a hold of her knee and pulled it up around his waist so that she was nearly on top of him. Her other hand quickly found its hold on her neck as she dragged her tongue across his bottom lip. Mulder groaned as she dragged her fingernails across the back of his neck as his tongue finally met hers. _Well,_ he thought, _they hadn't taken a late day in a while._

"Mulder!" Scully squealed as he suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around her and flipped them so he was straddling her. Looking down at her, his pride swelled at the dark lustful look in her normally sky blue eyes.

"Scare ya', Scully?" He asked gruffly as his lips trailed against her neck. He knew it drove her crazy.

"Mul..Mulder," she sighed, bringing one of her legs up to hook around his waist and pull him closer. Too busy focusing on her now blushing neck, he didn't notice her hand sneaking between them until he felt her slender fingers take him in their grasp.

"Jesus, Scully," he groaned into her shoulder.

"Someone wasn't paying attention," she laughed. "Someone else is already ready to go."

Mulder grinned. "He betrayed me."

She laughed again as she laid a soft kiss to his ear. "Don't tell me he's going to show you up, too?"

Mulder growled as he raised his head and his hand traveled to her chest to knead one of her breasts in his hand. "Not a chance."

She gasped slightly and he took his chance to claim her lips again, this time with more of a hungry frenzy. Her fingers stroked him gently and then firmly and he found his hips involuntarily thrusting into her skilled hand. Breaking their kiss, he dropped his head to circle the nipple of her free breast with his tongue.

"Fox," she sighed, arching her back into him. He switched expertly, enjoying the mewls escaping from his partner. As he continued, the strokes from her hand became more frantic and wanting. His breath came in short bursts now. He'd have to stop her soon otherwise she'd send him over the edge. Quickly, he grabbed her hand and her other one that was tangled in his hair and secured them above her head.

"Please, Fox," she muttered. Grinning, he trailed his tongue from her breast up to her ear.

"Not quite, beautiful," he whispered before dancing his fingers of his right hand down her side. She wiggled under him, giving a small giggle as he tickled her. He grinned as he knew that she wouldn't be giggling for much longer. Kissing the dip in her collarbone, he ghosted his hand over her heat. Her hips immediately arched upward, craving the touch of his fingers. He teased her for a moment, dancing his fingers across her hips and thighs.

"Jesus, Mulder, stop teasing," she groaned. He knew by the tone of her voice that she had passed the point of flirting and teasing and was now at the point of no return.

"As you wish," he whispered as his fingers quickly spread her legs and dipped into her.

"Oh, God, Fox," she gasped as her head rolled backward.

"Wet already?" He growled into her chest.

"Do you still not understand what you do to me?" she stuttered as he slipped a finger in and out.

Chuckling, he moved his hips forward so that his now throbbing member laid on her thigh.

"Ditto."

It only took a few more moments of teasing until he could feel her actively trying to escape from his hard grasp on her hands. He felt her knees buckle a bit as she moaned. Dipping his head to her ear, he kissed it gently before speaking to her.

"Tell me what you want."

"Ugh, I want – God, Mulder."

Relinquishing the space between her legs, he gently grabbed his own member and trailed it along her opening.

"Mulder!" She cried.

"You haven't told me yet," he whispered.

"God, I want _you_ ," she gasped. " _Fuck_ , Fox, I want you."

He couldn't hold back after that. Entering her slowly, they both moaned at the explosive contact that they had only recently discovered in the past four months. He finally relinquished her hands and they quickly grazed up and down his back as he rocked within her. First slow, then fast, then slow again. Her fingertips drove him crazy as he buried his head into the crook of her shoulder. He knew he'd probably have red streaks by the time their little escapade was over.

"Jesus, Dana," he groaned.

"Don't stop," she responded.

"Never planning on it."

Rocking her backward a bit, he hooked his arms under her legs and pulled them upward so that he was right above her and able to go a little rougher than normal.

"Oh, _God_ ," she gasped. To keep them steady, he quickly braced his hands against the headboard while still holding her legs back so she was trapped in his grasp. By the sounds of both of their breaths, they weren't going to last much longer.

"Mulder –" she cried. Whatever she was going to say next was swallowed by the shock of her body shaking as her pleasure overwhelmed her. And after that beautiful show that was given just for him, Mulder wasn't too far behind her.

Uttering one last _"Fuck"_ , Mulder dropped to the bed next to her. He watched as she desperately tried to control her breathing.

"Your turn next time," Mulder stuttered.

Dana laughed, the sound like tinkling bells to his ears. "You got it, champ."

Looking at the clock, a second single alarm bell went off in Mulder's head.

"We're going to be late," he muttered. He looked over at the shaking red head next to him and grinned at the roll of her eyes.

"Worth it."

…

Whether Skinner realized they walked through the metal detectors fifteen minutes past the time they were supposed to or not, he didn't seem to care. He was made aware of the change in their relationship almost as soon as it occurred. They knew that if, God forbid, something were to happen they wanted someone to know.

So maybe he went easy on them the first time they walked in late with goofy grins on their faces. Simply because he knew what they were walking into.

"Mulder. Scully." He acknowledged as they walked past his office.

"Sir," Scully responded as she made to stop. He gestured for them to follow him.

"The VCU called, they have a case that I want you two to assist on."

"What is it?" Mulder asked, his interest immediately peaked at the suggestion of working with his former department. Grabbing the file extended by Skinner, he flipped it open to a gruesome photo of a woman who had been clearly violently murdered.

"Serial killer. Six women in three months. All within our area, all violent, all within the privacy of their homes."

"That's horrible," Scully whispered, her mouth grimacing at the photos.

"The VCU will be able to give you a profile. But as you can imagine, the FBI is wanting him found quickly."

Skinner stopped as they reached the elevator that would take them down to the basement.

"We'll do all we can, sir," Mulder assured.

Skinner nodded as he left them to return to his office, his face buried deep in another file. As the elevator dinged behind them, Scully sighed.

"Back to the grind," she stated as they entered the elevator.

"Nothing we can't handle," he grinned and he brushed his hand against hers as the elevator doors slid shut.

…

They were expecting difficult clues, shaky leads and maybe a chase or two.

What they weren't expecting was three weeks of almost zero leads or clues. Mulder and Scully had been in constant contact with the VCU, spending hours trailing over profiles and smudged fingerprints. They had rarely been able to say hello to each other let alone go home and relax with a hot meal and a movie.

"I don't get the motive, Mulder," Scully groaned as she placed her now empty coffee cup on the table. "They're all women but all of different demographics. There's been no evidence of sexual assault. Why is he killing these women?"

"I wish I knew," he replied, the images of the victims faces' beginning to sear themselves into his brain. Sighing, he dropped the folder he was holding in his hand and rubbed his hands over his face. "There's got to be something we're missing."

Before Scully could respond, the radio buzzed and a voice filtered through.

"We have contact with the suspect at 344 Fairview Way, over. Victim escaped through a downstairs window and contacted authorities. Suspect has barricaded himself within the household."

Jumping up, Mulder checked his gun before placing it in its holster. "Our lucky day."

The ride in the FBI's undercover van was probably less than five minutes, but it felt like an eternity as Mulder checked over Scully's bulletproof vest again and again.

"Mulder, it's alright. It's on correctly, you even watched me fasten it in." She chuckled lightheartedly, but even she couldn't deny that she had been giving the same check to Mulder's vest only a few moments ago.

"Sorry. It's just…" he lowered his voice. "This is the first time we've been in this situation since, you know."

Scully nodded. "I know. But we can't let it hinder our judgement, Mulder. Keep your head down, your gun pointed and I'll watch your six."

Mulder grinned. "You can bet I'll be watching your six."

"Jesus, Mulder," she laughed as the van pulled up in front of the house. Quickly sliding into their professional demeanor, they jumped out of the back of the van and ducked behind the barricades set up to shield themselves. Coming up next to one of the VCU agents, Agent Puller, Mulder rested his gun next to his.

"What's the status?"

"He's got a loaded weapon. Been firing it randomly for the last five minutes, only three shots. Also been trying to make demands. Saying that he wants clear passage out of here and he'll tell us where the other girls are."

"There's more?" Scully whispered.

"According to him, yes," the agent seethed.

"Do we have an ID?"

"The woman identified him as Daniel Worther, the flower store clerk just down the street. We did a quick double check and all of the victims had placed an order sometime in the past year."

"What's the plan of action?"

"The agents in the back are going to hold as backup. We're going in through the front as soon as we get the signal. We were just waiting for you guys."

Mulder nodded as the agents to their right began moving forward toward the house. He followed slowly, watching the windows as the blinds fluttered.

"Slowly," Mulder muttered into his mic as they reached the steps. A shot rang throughout the house and the agents quickly hit the ground.

"No one comes in! You hear me! No one!" Daniel yelled from inside.

Agent Puller's voice sounded. "It's over, Daniel! You're surrounded. Discard the weapon outside and come out with your hands up."

Everything was silent for a moment. Finally, the door opened slowly. Mulder stood from his spot and felt Scully stand next to him as they trained their guns on the door. Without a word, Daniel dropped the gun out the door and it landed on the porch.

Slowly, Agent Pulled started walking, leading the agents down the sidewalk. "Now come out with your hands raised."

"Something's not right," Scully muttered.

"What?" Mulder asked, his attention diverted by Worther walking out the front door. He walked slowly, but didn't raise his hands.

"It's not right," Scully repeated as she sidestepped Mulder and was suddenly running toward the lead agent. "Get down!"

Within a split second, Mulder saw Daniel pull a concealed weapon from his back pocket and point it in front him. He rang off one shot before Mulder popped three bullets into him. The rush of agents running and yelling disoriented him for a moment, but finally he was able to make his way to the area that Scully had ran to.

"Scully! Scully!" He'd hoped the bullet to have passed everyone and made its mark in a tree. Possibly it had hit Agent Puller, the intended target.

His heart racing, he elbowed his way through a group of agents settling on the sidewalk. Looking down, his heart full on stopped. There was the love of his life, the woman who only a few minutes ago had been berating him about checking her vest over and over, laying on the concrete with blood spewing from her left upper arm.

"Dana!" He exclaimed as he pushed past the other attending agents and kneeled to take her in his arms.

"Ah, shit," she gasped. It had been a one in a million shot. The bullet had grazed the one area of the arm that her vest couldn't cover. Mulder quickly placed his hand against the wound that was pouring blood and rested her against his chest.

"We need a medic! Agent down, I repeat, Agent down!" Puller yelled.

"Dana, look at me, you're going to be fine, okay?" Mulder rambled as laid a shaking kiss to her temple.

"I'm okay, Fox, it's just – ah – a flesh wound."

Mulder grimaced as her blood flowed around his fingers. "Just…stay still. Help's on the way. God, you scared the shit out of me. What were you _thinking?_ "

"Just doing my job," she gasped as pain rippled through her. "Thanks for watching my six. If you hadn't been there he might have gotten a couple more off."

"Don't even mention that," he deadpanned. The medics arrived quickly and patched up her arm while attempting to calm Mulder in the process.

"He'll be like this for a while," Dana chuckled as the medics leaned her back against a gurney and lifted it into the back of an ambulance.

"Are you taking her to a hospital?" Mulder asked quickly, ignoring Dana's quip.

"Just for a full observation and check-up, to make sure we're not missing anything here. You're welcome to ride along. Are you her partner?"

"And concerned boyfriend," Dana sighed as he jumped into the ambulance and took her hand. The medic smiled.

"Yeah, we get a lot of those," he responded as he shut the doors and pounded the back to alert the driver.

Mulder finally let felt his breathing relax as the ambulance began driving down the street. "Warn me the next time you're planning on jumping in front of a speeding bullet, okay?"

"If I had had time I promise I would have," Scully gave a small chuckle before sighing. "I'm sorry I scared you."

Mulder gave her a hard look. "Terrified me is more like it. Just because our jobs are dangerous doesn't mean you have to run into every dangerous situation, Dana."

"If I hadn't deflected the bullet than it could have hit Agent Puller right in the head."

"You don't know that – "

"We can't take those risks, Mulder, you know that."

Mulder sighed. "But we can take risks that endanger our own lives?"

Scully raised an eyebrow. "You're one to talk."

Lowering his head, Mulder smiled. "You're right. I'm sorry, I just…I got too close to thinking I'd lost you."

Scully was silent for a moment. She gripped his hand tighter before bringing it up to her lips, giving it a light kiss. "It's okay. I'm right here."

Flipping her hand, Mulder reciprocated her kiss. "I know."

The rode in silence for a while, the shallow breathing between the two of them enough. Mulder lowered his head so that it rested on top of hers.

"I love you. I haven't said that enough the past three weeks," Mulder whispered.

"Me neither," she agreed. "I love you."

They were silent for another moment before Dana chuckled.

"You know, with my bandage and sling, I won't be able to be on bottom for a while."

Mulder laughed into her hair. "You're turn."

 **This one got a little long, and I'm not entirely happy with how it turned out, but I kept hitting a writer's block so I decided to post and keep going with my ideas! As always, please read, enjoy and review!** **– ImpulsiveWriter321**


	3. C is for Cake

**C is for Cake**

His birthday was always a quiet endeavor. When he was younger his parents would have a party or a family day together, but as he grew older the day became less and less of a celebration for him. When he started the X-Files, he spent his birthday either drinking at the bar or watching horror movies at home. He told Dana this the first time his birthday came around and she was with him. She had just nodded and listened carefully so he assumed that was that. He should have known better.

That first birthday he received at least four different cards from agents that he was on friendly terms with, all stating that they had no idea that it was his birthday otherwise they would have gotten him something the year before and the year before that. He even got a friendly smile and pat on the back from Skinner and a free coffee from the coffee shop down the street from his apartment. He had sat, utterly confused yet surprisingly happy, when Dana walked in with a coffee of her own and her purse in hand. She smiled when she saw the cards piled on his desk.

"I already got beat to the punch with a happy birthday, didn't I?" she had laughed.

"I guess," he muttered. "I just wonder why this year was suddenly different."

Looking back, he remembered her small smile and bright eyes as she reached into her bag and pulled out a small square wrapped in wrapping paper and topped with a signature Dana Scully bow and card. He shook his head at her as she slid it across his desk.

"I told you no presents," he had chastised. But he knew he was smiling when he said it.

"I know," she sighed. "But everyone deserves some love on their birthday."

"You planned all of this, didn't you?" he asked as he took the gift from her.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You talked to all those people?" he chuckled. "Even the nice barista?"

"She did give you an extra biscuit, too, right?" She asked as she sat across from him.

Mulder shook his head. "You sneaky woman."

He still had the UFO shaped pencil holder, to this day one of his favorite gifts he'd ever received, sitting on his desk. Every birthday after that he knew that at least he was going to be showered upon by his partner, whether it be with free coffee, a small gift or a sweet card that he would then add to the bottom drawer in his desk where he kept everything that held some sentimental significance to him.

He was expecting the same for his next birthday in a few short days, so he was surprised when he arrived home to find his apartment dark save for some candles lit on the kitchen table and the sweet smell of pasta and chicken coming from the kitchen. The soft sound of instrumental music filled his ears as he rounded the corner to find a dancing Scully in his kitchen.

"I thought you'd be sleeping," he laughed, coming up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist. "You've had a long week."

"I figured since we were going to be out of town for that case on Friday, that we'd celebrate tonight instead," she answered, dipping her spoon in her alfredo sauce and tasting it.

"Celebrating what?" he asked, distracted by the sway of her hips against him and the feeling of her back moving up and down with her breaths.

"Your birthday, silly," she giggled, turning slightly to tap him on the nose with her now clean spoon.

"Hmm, my birthday is this week? Don't remind me, that just means I'm getting older."

"Aren't we all?" She laughed, spinning around to face him. "This is the first birthday that we've spent…together, you know? I want to make it special."

"You already have," Mulder whispered, nuzzling her nose with his. "Just by being here."

"I've always been here, Mulder," she reminded him, lifting her face slightly to bring her lips to his.

"Not like this," he murmured against her quickly gripping her waist to keep her close.

"True," she agreed, leaning into him and trailing soft and slow kisses against his jaw. "You know, we could just skip dinner…"

"Na uh. You've put all this effort in and now I'm super hungry," he laughed, reaching behind her and plucking a piece of chicken from her pan and throwing it in his mouth.

"Hey! That's for the pasta you stinker," she giggled and turned around again to finish her cooking. He kissed her quickly on the neck as an apology and reached into his cupboard for plates.

"I don't remember the last time I've used these," he muttered, wiping off the small film of dust that accumulated on them.

"What, you just eat out of to-go containers?" she asked, dumping the chicken into the sauce before draining the pasta in the sink.

"Something like that," he chuckled. They worked like a well-oiled machine, plopping pasta onto plates and coating them with chicken and sauce before adding the small sides of vegetables that she had already finished and put into other bowls.

"Thank you," he murmured as he bent to kiss her on the cheek.

"You're always welcome," she smiled. Placing her plate on the table, she reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle of white wine.

"I wondered when the alcohol wound come in," Mulder said and quickly grabbed his wine glasses.

"These don't seem to have any dust on them," Scully teased, pretending to give them an extensive look over as she popped the cork.

"They've gotten extensive use since you've started coming around here," he responded, taking the bottle from her and pouring two generous glasses.

"You bet your ass they have," she giggled as she took the glass nearest her and sauntered over to the table. Mulder watched hungrily as her hips swayed from side to side.

"I'll bet my ass any day if it means I get to watch yours walk away from me," Mulder said gruffly as he took a sip of the wine.

She glanced behind her at him with her eyebrow sky high. "Too late, mister. You wanted dinner first."

"And then dessert?" he offered.

"And then multiple kinds of dessert."

His ears perked at her choice of words as he sat across from her. Their dinner was full of laughter and good conversation. They may have dropped some noodles and chicken on the table as a result of a decent amount of wine and trying to feed each other with their forks. Almost too soon, their bellies were full and the clock ticked to ten o'clock.

"Oh, I've got to get the dessert," Dana exclaimed after seeing the time and grabbed their empty plates to bring them to the sink.

"Wait, you meant a literal dessert?" Mulder inquired, swishing the last of his wine back before standing to follow her. He stood at the sink to wash out their glasses as she fiddled in his fridge.

"Of course I did. I realized that over the past couple birthdays I had given you cards, gifts, coffee, etc. But…I'd never given you a cake."

Hearing her words, Mulder turned to find her standing in the middle of his kitchen, holding a small circular chocolate cake with the words _Happy Birthday, Spooky_ written on the top in white icing. Two small candles topped it and she must have quickly lit them when he wasn't looking. In the darkness, the light flickered against her face and made it look as if she were glowing. She shuffled a bit, looking down.

"I made it myself. Now…I'm not a _great_ baker, but I got my mom's chocolate cake recipe and was careful to make it just like she would."

With a probable permanent grin, Mulder took the two small steps to reach her and ran his hands against the bottom of her arms to her elbows.

"You did a great job, babe," he whispered. They never really used nicknames or terms of endearment towards each other, especially in public, but the occasional one slipped out from either of them and it suddenly catapulted them to remembering that they really had taken the next step. The flame from the candles flickered against their faces as he leaned forward to kiss her forehead, careful not to send the cake tumbling from her hands. He felt her take a deep breath and then was shocked when he heard her voice…singing.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Mulder, happy birthday to you," she sang quietly. She hated singing, he knew that from experience. He had made her sing to him in the woods that night as he laid curled up in her lap. Yet even if she claimed that she couldn't hold a tune to save her life, he relished every moment he was able to hear her voice sing. He gave her a large smile, letting her know that he loved every moment of it. She gave him a small smile in return.

"You've got to make a wish." She whispered, holding the cake up slightly.

Mulder stared at her lovingly. "What if I've already got everything I want?"

"There's always something you want but don't have, Mulder."

He pretended to think about it for a moment but in reality he knew what he wanted. Leaning down, he closed his eyes and blew out the candles.

Now in the dark, she gave him a quick kiss before placing the cake on the table and grabbing a knife.

"How big of a piece do you want?" she asked as she licked a bit of frosting that had somehow made it's way onto her finger.

"Don't care," he responded, wrapping his arms around her again while spreading kisses up and down her neck. "All I want to do is take the cake and you to bed."

"Cake in bed?" she mewled, slicing easily through the cake. "I like the idea."

She quickly plated two pieces before putting the rest in the fridge. Grabbing her hand and a plate he pulled her gently toward his bedroom. He never really planned on telling her what he wished for. He never planned to tell her that he wished for his bedroom to be _their_ bedroom. That he wished that his or her apartment would be _their_ apartment. That he would wake up every morning to a head full of red hair and a soft body. That the vows that they had made so many times to each other already would be verified and heard loud and clear by their family and friends. That his last name would become hers.

He didn't plan on telling her.

At least, not yet.

 **A little shorter but I really liked this one! It was a lot of fun to write! I churned it out while sitting in the living room of the family I babysit for so I had a decent amount of time to get it all in, lol. As always, please read, review and enjoy! – ImpulsiveWriter321**


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